Left Handed Operation

I'm looking at getting my son a DSLR for Christmas but he has a unique situation, in that, due to a stroke at birth, he has very little use of his right hand so I would like to find out if there is some type of mount that could allow left handed shutter control? Is one brand more conducive for this than the others?
Thanks,
Tom

DSLRs are really designed for two handed use, with buttons, and dials everywhere. Traditionally, the left hand supports things, while the right hand grips and operates the shutter etc.

I'm not aware of anything the other way round. The market is just too small.
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Well I don't know of any lefthanded camera, but I think there SHOULD be one.

An option could be ...



A thing designed to hold the flash (the photo is just an example). They should contain:

• a handle, usualy ment to have on the right side of the camera, but often possible to have on the left side. This is mend to hold a flash, but you don't have to do that
• a bottom-construction to screw it on the camera and to that handle
• a way to press the shutter. Now this can be the hard part to find. In the film days each camera would have a mechanical connection for a cable release, I won't know wich cameras support this (or an electronic version) nowadays, but that will be the trick.

I had one of these and drilled a hole for my cable release, this worked fine.
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They key could be... how much use of his right hand does he have? If he can support the camera with his left hand he could use a remote trigger in his right - assuming he can work his fingers - to actuate the shutter. Changing settings on the camera would still have to be done with the left hand most likely, but if the biggest obstacle is holding the camera with the right hand to actuate the shutter there are many options for overcoming that. And while not always a viable option, the use of a tripod can also make things a lot easier in many situations.

ThomasJ4412 said:

I'm looking at getting my son a DSLR for Christmas but he has a unique situation, in that, due to a stroke at birth, he has very little use of his right hand so I would like to find out if there is some type of mount that could allow left handed shutter control? Is one brand more conducive for this than the others?
Thanks,
Tom

Click to expand...

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Take a look at some of the dslrs with vertical grip. With my Sony a700 and vertical grip I can hold the camera upside down (180 degs from conventional horizontal position) with my left hand and operate the shutter and the front control dial with my index finger. This isn't ideal as the settings displayed in the view finder would be upside down as would the lcd display but I bet it wouldn't be the worst obsticle he's had to over come.

Also do a google search on "left handed camera" I was amazed at the amount of info I found... some was fodder though!
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ThomasJ4412 said:

I'm looking at getting my son a DSLR for Christmas but he has a unique situation, in that, due to a stroke at birth, he has very little use of his right hand so I would like to find out if there is some type of mount that could allow left handed shutter control? Is one brand more conducive for this than the others?
Thanks,
Tom

Click to expand...

I would go to a camera store and look at their brackets and remote cables, all DSLR are similar and normally require two hands but there can be accommodations with attachements

Thanks for all the suggestions...looks like there are two basic approaches...use an outboard flash handle with a remote shutter switch...or...the vertical grip...also sounds like a trip to my local camera shop {about 60 miles away...they seem to be harder to find these days } is in order.
Appreciate the comments.
Tom

There is another couple of options.

Most modern DSLRs have a wireless remote control which could be attached to the left side of the camera. If he has limited use of his right hand, a monopod would probably be helpful since it takes less co-ordination/strength to control the camera.

Most nicer DSLRs have vertical grips as accessories. These come with auxillary buttons. It might be worth looking in to if any of those have a better button placement.

Depending on his degree of control / strength in his left hand, it might be possible to operate the camera upside down. This would place the buttons on the left side.

Generally the entry level cameras have a better layout for single handed operation, for example the Nikon d3000 and d5000 have a single dial menu system.

The Pentax k-x and Olympus e620 are both particularly small and light. Worth looking at there too.

All dSLRs are very right-handed, and most are difficult to operate one-handed even right-handed. I am left-handed and have big hands and long fingers and I can't get close to one-handed left-handed operation. (Some compacts are light enough to operate one-handed and small enough to operate left-handed).

I think you would have to provide at least support for the camera's weight to allow one-handed left-handed operation (eg, a monopod or equivalent). With a good ballhead you could put the dSLR in portrait mode and in that orientation it can easily be used left-handed; in landscape mode left-handed operation is awkward but with some contortion you can get there as long as you didn't have to support the camera as well.
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I don't know of a solution other than a bracket as others have mentioned.

I also don't know how handicapped he is, but proper holding technique should require little or no weight baring need for the right hand. The right hand need only operate controls, while the left hand goes under the camera cupping the lens. I have no idea if that helps.



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Cheers, Craig

ThomasJ4412 said:

Thanks for all the suggestions...looks like there are two basic approaches...use an outboard flash handle with a remote shutter switch...or...the vertical grip...also sounds like a trip to my local camera shop {about 60 miles away...they seem to be harder to find these days } is in order.
Appreciate the comments.
Tom

Click to expand...

This is a tough situation. I believe a tripod and remote release will help him a lot. Aren't there specialty businesses that sell assistive devices for disabled people?
Good luck to you both. Let us know what you do.

Thanks again...he pulled out my dSLR last night and the trouble he has using his right hand is that he can't push the shutter release with his right hand without jiggling the camera.
Tom

AdriaanMeijer said:

Well I don't know of any lefthanded camera, but I think there SHOULD be one.

An option could be ...



A thing designed to hold the flash (the photo is just an example). They should contain:

• a handle, usualy ment to have on the right side of the camera, but often possible to have on the left side. This is mend to hold a flash, but you don't have to do that
• a bottom-construction to screw it on the camera and to that handle
• a way to press the shutter. Now this can be the hard part to find. In the film days each camera would have a mechanical connection for a cable release, I won't know wich cameras support this (or an electronic version) nowadays, but that will be the trick.

Click to expand...

I have seen an IR release on ebay. It may possible to glue a cold show on the transmitter, so it can mount on the flash braket shoe. But, the DSLR will need an IR ready body

http://cgi.ebay.com/IR-Remote-Control-for-Nikon-D40x-D60-D70-D80-D70s_W0QQitemZ300374090719QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Camcorder_Remotes?hash=item45efb0e3df
Should work on D5000 also..
One is made for Canon, Olympus, Pentax also.

AdriaanMeijer said:

I had one of these and drilled a hole for my cable release, this worked fine.
--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English

Click to expand...

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ThomasJ4412 said:

Thanks again...he pulled out my dSLR last night and the trouble he has using his right hand is that he can't push the shutter release with his right hand without jiggling the camera.
Tom

Click to expand...

Then I would repeat part of my previous suggestion. A monopod (or tripod for that matter) and a remote control (cheap and wireless) would seem to be the solution. He can do other stuff with this left hand and then either trigger the shutter with either hand using the remote.

Rifleman1776 said:

ThomasJ4412 said:

Thanks for all the suggestions...looks like there are two basic approaches...use an outboard flash handle with a remote shutter switch...or...the vertical grip...also sounds like a trip to my local camera shop {about 60 miles away...they seem to be harder to find these days } is in order.

Click to expand...

This is a tough situation. I believe a tripod and remote release will help him a lot. Aren't there specialty businesses that sell assistive devices for disabled people?

Click to expand...

There used to be, but it was years ago. I did some left handed and pistol grip cameras. Opened up the camera, added connectors in parallel with existing buttons and dials, and came out to a connector. Then made left hand grips or pistol grips with additional buttons and quadrature-dials (that's the kind of mechanism that makes the command dials work).

But the outfit I did that for is gone, and I don't know enough about the business end of that kind of operation to manage it. They were a non-profit and used to get most of the engineering funded through US state and federal government agencies, charitable foundations, insurance companies, and employers. Then bid jobs to a number of engineers and techs who concocted the modifications. I did cameras and woodwind instruments.

These days, with all the cameras having USB based interfaces, it should be a snap to build a universal pistol grip or left hand grip that just plugs into the USB port and runs camera functions by button, dial, and voice controls. I got as far as a PC based prototype and the basic design for the grip (gum-stick computer, embedded Linux, Mississippi state voice recognizer) before running out of steam.

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Another option might be something like this:

http://www.bushhawk.com/Home.htm

There's got to be solutions. I know that our camera club helps to outfit cameras to wheelchairs for some kids who are interested. RAM products make accessories that help in that case.
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Cheers, Craig

I think some sort of modified or steadicam-esque rig with one-handed operation would be ideal for him. Here's to the aspiring photographer.

A friend with only a left arm simply uses his camera upside down and presses the shutter with his left thumb. And no, all his photos are NOT upside down too.
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